Parise thrilled to have Minnesota Special Hockey players as teammates

EDINA, Minn. --
Zach Parise
watched teammate Maggie Schuneman skate toward the net Monday and tap in a rebound to give their team a 4-3 lead.

But the celebration was more memorable than the goal for Schuneman, a Minnesota Special Hockey player and Parise's teammate for the evening.
"She told me if she scored I had to give her a hug," said Parise, an unrestricted free agent after the Minnesota Wild bought out the final four years of his contract in July. "I remember meeting her a few years ago and see her year after year, so we always have a good time.
"It's great to see her and all these other players have such a great time."
Schuneman was one of 12 Minnesota Special Hockey athletes with intellectual and social disabilities who got to call 12 NHL players teammates during the Unified Showcase, held between playoff games of Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 summer league for NHL players with ties to Minnesota.
Founded in the spring of 2006, Minnesota Special Hockey has more than 200 players in 16 cities across the state. The season opens the first week of November and runs until the first week of March, with tournaments and festivals held in addition to hour-long games and practices.
For the past five years, Da Beauty League has rolled out the red carpet for Minnesota Special Hockey with the Unified Showcase. It's a favorite of fans and players.

"Forget about the playoff game before and the playoff game after, this game is prime time," Winnipeg Jets defenseman Nate Schmidt said. "When the youngest guy scored, it was the loudest ovation in the building, it wasn't close. It gives you goosebumps thinking about it. It's super cool to see.
"These guys and gals are incredible athletes and put on a show. For 15 minutes of game time, they're the best players on the ice. It's just so cool."
Paige Faber, 21, jokes that she's regularly the best player on the ice when it comes to her family, and had a goal and an assist in the game.
Her younger brother,
Brock Faber
, is a regular at Da Beauty League games this summer, and was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (No. 45) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old defenseman will be a sophomore at the University of Minnesota this season.

"That's what they tell me anyway," Paige said. "I've loved hockey since I was able to skate. It's pretty cool to be out here against these guys and there's a lot of people, so it's kind of nerve-wracking.
"My brother's used to that [at Minnesota], but I'm not, so it'll be cool to have so many people watching special hockey."
On Monday, players such as Schuneman and Paige Faber were who the crowd and NHL players were there to watch.
"We love this game," Parise said. "Everyone does. The fans get into it, the players get into it, and most importantly those athletes have fun with it. They have a good time, we score a lot of goals. Those players can move. It's just really a fun, fun night for everyone. Happy to be a part of it."

Photos:TeMo Photo